Weather report: Mild and dry in the Corn Belt

In the West, flood warnings are in effect for much of western Oregon and southwestern Washington. Currently, precipitation continues to fall in western Oregon and is spreading into northwestern California, but heavy rain has temporarily ended in most of Washington. Meanwhile, mild, dry weather continues across the Southwest, although winds are increasing.

On the Plains, dry weather and record-setting high temperatures are maintaining significant stress on hard red winter wheat. On November 18, at least one-fifth of the wheat was rated in very poor to poor condition in South Dakota (60%), Oklahoma (44%), Nebraska (40%), Colorado (40%), Texas (25%), and Kansas (24%).

In the Corn Belt, a few rain showers are mostly confined to the lower Great Lakes States. Mild, dry air continues to overspread the region from west to east, promoting off-season fieldwork activities.

In the South, dry weather and warmer conditions favor late-season fieldwork, including winter wheat planting and cotton and soybean harvesting. On November 18 in North Carolina, 65% of the winter wheat had been planted, while harvest was 78% complete for cotton and 56% complete for soybeans.

Outlook: Mild weather will continue to dominate the U.S. through Thanksgiving Day, November 22. Late in the week, however, cooler air will overspread the eastern half of the nation. By early next week, a stronger surge of cold air will reach nearly all areas except California and the Southwest. During the next 5 days, additional precipitation could reach 2 to 4 inches in the Pacific Northwest and 1 to 3 inches in the northern Rockies. However, a brief lull in Northwestern storminess will occur on Thanksgiving Day. Elsewhere, late-week snow showers will affect the nation’s northern tier, while rain showers will break out on November 22 from Texas into the middle Mississippi Valley. The NWS 6- to 10-day outlook for November 25-29 calls for warmer-than-normal weather west of the Rockies, while near- to below-normal temperatures will prevail in most areas from the Plains to the East Coast. Meanwhile, below-normal precipitation in Florida and from California to the middle and lower Mississippi Valley will contrast with wetter-than-normal conditions across the northern Plains, Appalachians, Great Lakes region, and Northeast.